Vanilla Java Porter (VJP)
Atwater Brewery

12oz bottle served in a small pilsner glass at Rich O's Pub, New Albany

A: A moderately dark brown body with some reddish/ruby colored highlights that peak out near the edges of the glass - the body is not overly dark but still has some sense of richness in color. Off-white, slightly creamy head with decent retention and lacing. Sadly, the appearance is probably the best aspect of the beer as everything was downhill from here for me.

S: I really didn't get alot of the distinguishing vanilla or java characteristics on the nose, unfortunately. I was able to pick out a dash of smoked malts and maybe just a faint kiss of black coffee at the start, but there was an awkward, dark sourness on the nose - not sure if it was oxidation or what, but it was in there and it prevented the vanilla and roast coffee from playing their part in the aroma.

T: The taste is a letdown, like the nose. Not getting much vanilla anywhere in the flavor profile, nor am I getting a whole lot of coffee. Unfortunately, there is a quite noticeable oxidized flavor in there which throws out a crazy wet paper flavor. Only near the finish do I get any sense of the coffee present in this porter, and what is there is faint, along with a split second of cocoa-like chocolate. Really, I think this beer has all the potential to be great - coffee, vanilla and chocolate sounds awesome - but it translates into a mess of a porter.

M: Thin. All I can say.

D: Definitely had better porters that accentuate coffee or vanilla flavors in their profiles. This became a chore to drink after the first couple sips - warming up did not improve anything. Disappointing.

Can't really recommend this over any other coffee-themed beers - so many better American-style porters out there, and particularly of the vanilla persuasion (I think Breckenridge Vanilla Porter is miles ahead of this), not to mention a plethora of better coffee-forward beers. Convinced that I had a bad bottle with the oxidation flavors that were present, but I'm not sure when/if I'll return to this beer to give it a second chance.

 

L = Nice dark brown color. Not as nice substandard 1/4 inch off-white head. Clearly under carbonated look.
S = Best aspect of this beer. A very nice coffee roasted smell, with a strong vanilla undertone.
T =Weaker in the taste, than the nose. Coffee, vanilla... and a stretch from there to identify anything else. It tastes like malt is in the deep memories of this brew. The supposed chocolate is undetectable. Thin, one dimensional taste.
F = Watery and under carbonated. Pretty blah.
O = Mediocrity at it's finest. I really wanted to like this beer. Atwater made a very nice 5% ABV chocolate beer, which I bought when we first moved to Michigan, in Feb., 2021. Local stores ran out in May 2021, and they haven't made it since. The several Atwater beers I have tried since have been mostly disappointing.

Pours a very dark brown with a medium dark caramel head. Has a sweet roasted coffee smell. Taste is of watered down roasted malt with just a hint of vanilla.

 

The pour is almost stout black and sported a 1 finger light beige head. Looks good.
The taste is a pretty well balanced porter with vanilla; definitely present but not dominant. The coffee seems to blend into the porter to amplify the flavor. For a 5% beer, this drinks above its weight.
The feel is between thin and viscous, light body maybe?
OA, this is still Atwater’s flagship beer and that makes sense.

Pours very dark, minimal head, some lacing. Very smooth, easy drinking, only mild bitterness because of the vanilla notes, and decent mouthfeel. Didn’t get a lot of coffee flavor. I liked it, seems to be underrated here.

 

This beer is a lot better than a 79. I've had porters that taste like flavored water. This one is a good tasting porter. Not the best, but definitely better than a 79.

Ordered on tap, Dark brown/ black color, no head by the time it was brought to my table. Left some lacing. Vanilla dominated both aroma and taste. Full, rich flavor and came across a bit like a dessert beer. Okay overall, doubt I would order again.

Solid beer. My only real complaint is the mouthfeel, it's just thin, nothing else about it. That's probably just a consequence of the 5% abv though, which makes it a little more approachable, so I'll cut it some slack for that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tastes and smells a bit like a chocolate milkshake. I’ve had better.